Israel

Ahed Tamimi became a worldwide symbol of Palestinian resistance after she slapped an Israeli soldier in front of her home in the occupied West Bank. Now in Part 2, Ahed is released from Israeli prison in a chaotic and emotional day. Dena Takruri sits down with the teen activist to discuss her experience in prison, her hopes for the future, and her thoughts on Palestinian resistance.

In the season premiere of Direct From, Dena Takruri heads to the occupied West Bank to meet the teenage girl who has become an icon of Palestinian resistance. The tiny Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh, the birthplace of Ahed Tamimi, has been waging a sustained, nonviolent resistance movement against Israeli military rule for at least a decade. In the days before Ahed’s release from prison, Dena meets the family members and activists fighting for their freedom under occupation, and talks to the young generation of Palestinians about their dreams for the future.

Dena Takruri interviewed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez one day after she won the NY primary. The 28-year-old Latina from the Bronx ran on a platform of free college tuition and abolishing ICE – without any corporate money. She talked ICE, Israel/Palestine, and Medicare for all among other things.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says his state will boycott any group that backs the BDS movement. BDS, which stands for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, advocates for Palestinian human rights and opposes the illegal Israeli occupation. But is he really boycotting free speech?

68 years after the Nakba, when most Palestinians were forced out of their homes during the creation of Israel, those who stayed behind are struggling to hold on to their homes. For residents like Basma, that means living with the constant threat of demolition, without sewage, electricity, paved roads or playgrounds.

Ahmad is 18 and lives in the Balata refugee camp, the biggest in the occupied West Bank. His grandparents were forcibly removed from Jaffa during the creation of Israel. There’s only 32 miles between Balata and Jaffa, but Ahmad can only dream of seeing his homeland. He’s not allowed into Israel.

Israel says it built the separation wall for security reasons to keep Palestinians from the occupied West Bank out of Israel. So why does 85% of the wall run inside the West Bank, rather than on the border with Israel? And how has it affected Palestinian communities? AJ+’s Dena Takruri explains